The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-09-10
"I DO NOT KNOW"
Baltimore Saln.

A well-known writer on educational topics
once advised young and ambitious students to
| develop an inquiring disposition by getting into
the habit of saying II do not know" whenever
they were really deficient in knowledge, and of
| following that up by making inquiry as to all
subjects thought worthy of investigation. 1t
really requires moral courage sometimes to say
II do not know" when in fact that is the most
truthful response one could make to an inquiry.
1t sounds so much better when one is asked
simple question to volunteer guess or some
half information, that very few people can resist
the temptation to pretend to the possession of
knowledge they do not really possess. They
are ready with absurd explanations of natural
phenomena or with imperfect and sometimes
misleading information about events or places,
and go through the world without ever realizing
the extent of their own ignorance Yet before
they can begin to acquire substantial knowledge,
or at least before they can develop strong de-
sire for study, they must feel their ignorance
and be made solicitious to remove it.
If such person instead of glibly talking about
things of which he has no real knowledge gets
into the habit of asking himself, what do 1
know about it 2" and develops courage enough
to boldly say, II do not know when that hap
pens to be the fact he is on the threshold of in
creased knowledge. The Acknowledgement of
ignorance, especially when publicly made spurs
him to inquire and study that the ignorance
may be removed. If he is asked about some
event in history, and gives in reply his vague
recollections of it. without futher thought moth
ing is gained by himself or his friend, but on the
contrary both may be futher misled by the ILL
considered answer If on the other hand he
replies, II do not know" he is stimulated to in
quire about it from competent authorities and
he gains in knowledge by the discovery of his
deficiency.
When one first undertakes to test himself by
honestly acknowledging his ignorance where
igorance exists, he is astonished at the frequen-
cy with which he is obliged to repeat the stere-
otyped phrase, II do not know" He may even
make nuisance of himself to his relatives and
friends by an exaggerated truthfulness in this
respect, but gradually, if he follows up the con-
fession by the penance of study he will acquire
firm hold Of the knowledge that has hereto
fore tioated hazily in his mind, and he will have
less occasion to say II do not know in ordinary
conversation, while what he does say will be
strengthened and improved by his acquired
habit of thinking before speaking.
Much useless debate arises from the fact
that the disputants have never learned to make
this honest confes ion even to themselves They
they have it not, and in direct proportion to
their ignorance Of the subject matter are dog
matte and garrulous The silence that is golden
is the silence that results from realization of
ignorance.
Even in such small matter as the true mean
ing of word it is well to be always ready for
self-examination, prompt to say II do not know"
if there is shadow of doubt, and to remove it at
once by reference to a dictionary. An acciden-
tai misuse of word sometimes fixes wrong
meaning in the mind almost as firmly as though
1thad been carefully conned from the dictionary,
and years may elapse before the erroneous idea
OF its meaning is corrected, unless the modest
habit of frequent reference has been formed
What is true of words is true in more inn
portant sense of the things the words represent.
They, too, may have their meanings distorted.
and need to be frequently tested that we may
make sure that we know them. 1t is not only in
conversation with others that the confession IT
do not know is needed The cultivated mind
commences with itself, and is in great danger
(having a complaisant companion) of growing
self-satisfied and conceited. The habit of ad-
mitting II do not know to ones self is one of
great advantage 1t directs attention to defci-
UOwdroto hIIOwicSuc. Ine tlsnOrdnI nldn WHO
has no knowledge of his ignorance has no incen-
tive to inquire or study. If he does not know
or suspect that the meaning conveyed to his
mind by word is incorrect he will not even
think of looking in a dictionary to ascertain its
meaning. Mrs. Malaprop was barred from ac-
quiring knowledge by her self-satisfied ignor-
ance but of all the thousands who have laughed
at her mispronunciations and her misuse of
words there are very few, perhaps, who have
not exhibited in some degree, to wiser people,
similar though less pronounced defeat.
To gain knowledge we must first acknowledge
our ignorance, at least to ourselves, and by
learning to say II do not know learn also the
need of inquiry and study.